The Interview
by BooBooKitty12
Summary: Rowan Chase makes a call and asks for a favor. Find out the real reason why House decided to hire Chase.
1. Chapter 1

"What are you doing in here?" asked Dr. Cuddy. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

House, who had been sitting in a patients room while he played his Gameboy, merely shrugged and answered, "I'm working on a case. I needed someone to bounce ideas off of while my team is searching our patients home."

Cuddy looked at the comatose man in the bed next to him and replied, "First of all, this is not your patient. Secondly, oh never mind, it doesn't matter. I'm not here to talk about your case. It's your team I came to discuss. Have you found anyone to replace Dr. Matthews since he quit?"

House looked up from his game and frowned, thinking about all of the fellowship applications in his desk drawer that he still had not bothered to look at.

"Sorry, been busy saving lives," House responded. "But if this is more important then maybe you can just ask the patient if he could put off dying until after I've hired a new idiot."

"No need," answered Cuddy. "Seeing as how you're so busy, I will do your job for you."

Cuddy handed House a piece of paper and asked, "Have you even looked at this application? I found it in the bottom drawer of your desk"

"Of course I have," House replied, pretending to be insulted. "Who do you think put it there?"

House took the document from Cuddy's outstretched hand and quickly scanned it. He rolled his eyes and tossed the paper on the comatose patients' bed.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" he asked. "Of all the applicants, why would you pick him? This guy isn't even old enough to be qualified for this position."

A look of understanding came across House's face and he added, "Oh, let me guess. He has already shown you a number of good positions."

"Very funny," Cuddy commented dryly. "The truth of the matter is you would be doing me a big favor by hiring him. Which means that I would owe you. I'm prepared to let you out of clinic duty for a month."

House laughed and stated, "Oh, you would owe me more than that. But I'm curious. Why do you want him to have the job so badly?"

"His father called a major benefactor of this hospital and asked if you would meet with his son," Cuddy explained. "He found out that his son had applied for the fellowship with you and he made the call but he didn't request anything more than an interview. You don't even have to hire him if you choose not to."

"Nice dad," observed House. "You would think if he goes to the trouble of asking for a favor, he would want to make sure his son gets the job. So who is this father-of-the-year anyway that is able to influence hospital decisions?"

"Dr. Rowan Chase," Cuddy stated simply.

House raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, obviously impressed. This was quickly replaced, however, with a look of confusion.

"If Junior is such a great doctor," House asked, "why doesn't Rowan hire him instead of pawning him off on someone halfway around the world?"

Becoming annoyed with the questioning Cuddy exclaimed, "Just read his resume House. You'll see that he is more than qualified. His name is Robert Chase and he is an intensivist who has been working at New York Presbyterian Hospital since he moved here."

"Which was what, five minutes ago?" House snarkily replied. "Did Daddy get him that job too?"

Realizing that arguing with House led nowhere, Cuddy took a deep breath and proceeded more calmly, "Fine. If you meet with him then I will agree to no clinic duty for two months but that's my final offer."

Satisfied in knowing that Cuddy had made her best offer, House decided to give in and announced, "As a favor to you, I'll do it. But you call and set it up. I doubt I'll understand a word he's saying."

Rolling her eyes, Cuddy left to make the call. She turned when she got to the door and asked House, "Don't you think it's time for you to get back to work?"

House stood to leave and responded, "Actually, thanks for reminding me. It's time for my lunch break."

Five minutes later, House poked his head into Wilson's office and asked if he would like to go to the cafeteria."

"Why, did you forget your wallet again?" asked Wilson.

"No I did not," House responded indignantly. "And just for that rude remark, I think you should buy me lunch today."

Wilson put down the file he was reading and stated, "Well, that certainly sounds fair considering you would buy lunch if you ever said anything rude to me."

They left the office and as they walked to the elevator House casually brought up the topic of hiring a new member for his team.

"Have you heard the news?" House began. "Cuddy wants me to interview Rowan Chase's spoiled brat of a son to replace Matthews. I, of course, happily agreed to do it."

Wilson stopped and turned to House, furrowing his brow.

"Oh, this can't be good," he commented. "Rowan Chase is one of the most well respected men in medicine. I don't think you should mess with him or his son."

"That's the best part," House continued. "I don't even have to hire him. Chase must know his son is an idiot and just wants to placate him. I'll set the kid straight."

"It's so nice to know that we can always count on you to help your fellow man," responded Wilson.


	2. Chapter 2

A couple days later, House and Wilson walked into the hospital to find Cuddy waiting in the lobby.

"You're late," she complained to House while tapping her watch.

"Blame him," House said, pointing his thumb at Wilson. "He drives like his grandmother. I swear a garbage truck passed us on the way here."

"I'm terribly sorry," responded Wilson sarcastically. "Here's a thought, you wouldn't have to be so inconvenienced if you would get your own car fixed and I didn't have to pick you up everyday. By the way, where's the gas money you promised me?"

"I'll give it to you later when you buy me lunch," answered House.

"I hope you remembered that the interview with Dr. Chase is this morning," Cuddy mentioned to House, interrupting his and Wilson's bickering. "He arrived twenty minutes ago and has been waiting upstairs at the nurses station. I told him that you had an emergency and that you would be here as soon as possible."

"Oh, goodie," House responded as they made their way to the elevator. "I was afraid he might get lost without his daddy to help him find his way here."

Cuddy gently grabbed House by the arm and softly implored, "House, please don't be a complete ass. I know as well as you do that you have no intention of hiring this guy, but do me a favor and try to treat him with some respect. I really don't need to deal with any complaints from his father."

"Don't worry, I'll treat him with kid gloves," House declared as he pressed the button for the fourth floor.

The elevator doors closed, leaving an anxious Cuddy wondering if she should have insisted on sitting in on the meeting.

When House and Wilson got off the elevator they noticed a group of nurses flirting with an extremely attractive, boyish looking man with great hair.

"Wow, is he really a doctor or does he just play one on TV?" Wilson exclaimed. "I had no idea Dr. Chase was so young and handsome."

"And I had no idea you were so gay," House responded, raising his eyebrows in mock surprise. "It does explain a lot though."

Before Wilson had a chance to retort, House continued, "Hey, you want to meet for coffee in five minutes? I should be done with Romeo by then."

Wilson sighed and shook his head, "Remember what Cuddy said. Be nice for once and let the kid down easy."

House returned the smile and, not making any promises, moved toward the nurses station. Outwardly, Chase seemed to not notice the fact that all of the women hurriedly scampered away when Dr. House joined them.

After introductions were made, Chase shook the older man's hand and followed him into his office.

House took a seat behind his desk and Chase sat in one of the chairs opposite him.

"So, why are you looking for a job here in America instead of wherever it is you're from," House began. "Are you running from the law?"

Even though Chase had been prepared for House's brusque manner, he was still taken slightly aback by this being the first question. He had learned over the years to be guarded and not give too much away about himself but he was not used to people being so direct.

Chase smiled and seemed amused but House could tell the young man was weighing his answer carefully.

Looking House in the eye, Chase said, "I guess you could surmise that I'm running from a lot of things but the law isn't one of them."

House smiled slightly, surprised by the answer.

He continued, "Then what? Did you get a girl back home pregnant and don't want to take responsibility for the little ankle-biter?"

"I'm a doctor," Chase laughed. " I certainly know how _not_ to get a girl pregnant."

"Obviously you don't watch General Hospital. It happens on there all the time," House remarked.

Chase, having heard from the nurses that House was fond of the soaps, decided this would be a good opportunity to suck up and said, "I've never seen that one but I have seen a show back home called Neighbours so I get your point. But the answer is still no. The truth is, I was looking for a change."

"I made a change once," House commented. "I tried the egg salad for lunch one day instead of a Reuben. It didn't turn out too well."

House noticed that the two remaining members of his team, Dr. Felder and Dr. Singer, had entered the conference room and seemed to be trying to get his attention.

"Excuse me while I see what those morons need," House said as he went to find out what the problem was.

"It's not diabetes," Dr. Felder informed House once he entered the other room. "We tested for all types and they all came back negative."

The two doctors once again looked at the symptoms listed on the whiteboard and made further suggestions as to what could be wrong with the patient.

"Maybe it's cirrhosis," suggested Dr. Singer. "We found a couple bottles of vodka in the home. She could be an alcoholic."

"The woman is a professional tennis player," House asserted. "Up until a few weeks ago when she began having these symptoms, she was practicing eight hours a day. You think she worked that hard to get in shape only to destroy her liver by drinking?"

House became aware that Chase had followed him into the room when he saw the younger man reach for a lollipop that was in a jar on the conference table. The intensivist then casually leaned against the wall, unwrapped the candy, put it in his mouth and began to analyze the symptoms on the board.

Determined to put Chase on the spot and prove that he wasn't ready for this job, House decided to include him in the differential diagnosis.

"I'd like for both of you to meet Dr. Robert Chase," House stated, introducing him to the others. "He came all the way from Merry Old England for this job so I think we should get his expert opinion on the case."

"Actually, I'm Australian and I came all the way from New York City," Chase remarked before picking up the file that was laying on the table and quickly scanning through it.

"Tox screen was clean when she was admitted," Chase observed. "I agree that she's not an alcoholic. She would show more evidence of the disease if she were that far gone."

"Oh, what a shock," House interrupted. "He agrees with me."

After considering the patients symptoms for another moment, Chase asked, "Have you tested her for Hemochromatosis?"

"You must be joking," Dr. Felder laughed, annoyed by the young upstart. "Not only is that extremely rare but the patient is only in her twenties and is still menstruating so there's not much of a chance of her having an iron overload."

"Not much of a chance and no chance at all are two different things," Chase argued. "Especially if she were putting in the amount of training she claims. It's not unusual for women to stop menstruating when they exercise excessively."

"Fatigue, joint pain, weight loss, increased urination," Chase read off the board.

He looked at House and continued, "All the symptoms fit. You should test her."

"He's right," agreed House, suddenly looking at Chase with a new level of respect. Thinking that this was the kind of out-of-the-box reasoning he was looking for, he turned to the other doctors and ordered, "Go run the tests."

_Okay, maybe he's not a complete idiot, _thought House._ He is Rowan Chase's son after all. So why don't they want to work together? And why choose a field of medicine so far removed from his father's._

Still not willing to admit that Robert Chase was not what he had expected, House limped back to his office.

As he and Chase settled back down in their seats, House grabbed a bottle of Vicodin from his jacket pocket, snapped off the lid with his thumb and popped a pill in his mouth.

He noticed Chase staring at him and stated, "Don't start getting any ideas. I'm not an addict, I'm in pain."

Chase looked at House as if he were reading the older man and silently making his own judgment.

"I know," Chase responded with a slight nod.

Leaning back in his chair and carefully studying the younger man's countenance, House asked, "No big moral issue with a doctor administering his own meds?"

Chase shrugged and responded, "It's not my place to judge. Only you know the true level of pain your feeling. For now, I trust your judgment."

"So let me guess, you think you're some kind of an expert on addiction, right?" House inquired, recalling Chase's opinion about the patient's alcohol use.

"Of course not," Chase replied, careful as always not to give anything away about his past experience with his mother. "Like any doctor I've been taught how to read the signs, that's all."

House was convinced that there was more to it than that but he let the subject drop. He had already taken too much time with this kid and was ready to end the meeting so he could join Wilson for his morning coffee.

He began tossing a ball up in the air, considering the best way to get this interview over with.

It was time this kid learned not to use his connections to land a cushy job and House was more than willing to be the one to teach him.

He turned back to Chase, ready to see the young man squirm when he learned that Dear Old Dad hadn't made the request for this position that his son had expected.

Instead of telling Chase about his father, however, House's curiosity got the better of him and he couldn't stop himself from saying, "So, tell me about your parents."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I want to thank all of you who were kind enough to take the time to leave a review, sign up for story alerts or choose this as a favorite. It's always an added bonus to know that others appreciate your work. I hope you also enjoy this final chapter. **

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It was immediately evident that Chase had become uncomfortable when the topic changed to his family. He shifted in his chair and no longer made eye contact, which only made House more curious as to what the young man was hiding.

"There's not much to tell really," Chase began slowly. "My mum died several years ago so it's just me and my father. He still lives in Melbourne."

"Tell me about him," House said, wanting the son's honest opinion of the well-respected man.

Choosing his words carefully, Chase replied, "He concentrates a great deal on medical research and he's done some writing as well."

House narrowed his eyes and stared at Chase, wondering if he was serious. He hadn't said anything that wasn't already known and didn't even mention the fact that his father was a world renown rheumotologist.

He picked up Chase's resumé which was sitting on his desk and read it completely through for the first time. There was no mention of Rowan Chase.

_Well, now it's starting to get interesting, _thought House. _The kid obviously has daddy issues and yet had no problem asking for his help to get this job. Or did he?_

Tossing the paper back on his desk, House couldn't help but ask, "How did you hear about this position?"

"Are you kidding?" Chase asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Every doctor I know is talking about it. This is the most coveted fellowship around."

"Aw-shucks," answered House, doing a bad job of pretending to be modest.

"My boss at New York Presbyterian, Dr. Stewart, suggested that I apply and he was nice enough to offer to make a call on my behalf," Chase explained.

House was surprised to realize that he believed this explanation. This poor sap had absolutely no idea that his own father had not only set up this interview but at the same time had sabotaged it.

Wanting to learn more, House asked, "Who did Stewart call?"

Furrowing his brow, Chase looked slightly confused at this and replied, "Well....I thought he called you but since that's clearly not the case, then it must have been someone pretty important."

"I'll say," House stated. "Probably someone even world renown. You wouldn't happen to know anyone like that, would you?"

Chase appeared vexed by the question until a look of realization came across his face.

Discerning that House knew the truth, Chase grudgingly admitted, "I guess you know who my father is. You could have just said so. You didn't have to screw with me. Was it he who called?"

"Yes," confirmed House, not telling Chase that the call wasn't made directly to him. "Why would he want to hide that from you?"

House watched as a myriad of expressions played across Chase's face. The young man seemed surprised and disconcerted yet somewhat pleased to hear that his father had taken the time to reach out in such a way.

Still stunned by the news, a moment of vulnerability came over Chase and he honestly replied, "I'm not sure. It seems strange that he would do anything to help me get this fellowship considering he never wanted me to leave Australia in the first place. Perhaps after speaking with Dr. Stewart he changed his mind. I guess he didn't tell me because he knew that I never would have asked for his help."

House understood this feeling all too well. He couldn't help but think of the relationship he had with his own father and began to feel an unusual sense of connection with Chase. Unlike House, however, it was apparent that Chase still longed for his father's approval.

"So, what was it like to grow up with a famous father?" House wanted to know.

The mask that usually covered Chase's feelings was firmly back in place when he answered, "It's hard to say really. I wouldn't know what it was like to grow up any other way. Besides, we don't get to decide what our parents are going to be like."

House was impressed with how Chase had learned to answer questions without revealing anything about himself. This made House only want to learn more about him.

"Why did you decide to specialize in intensive care instead of following in your father's footsteps?" he probed.

Taking a deep inhale and exhaling slowing, Chase answered, "When my mum died, I watched as the doctor in the ER tried to save her but couldn't. He did everything he could but it just wasn't enough. Hoping I could make a difference in what could be the final moments of a person's life, I decided then that this was what I wanted to do."

As Chase looked somberly down at the floor, a lock of hair fell over his face making him seem almost childlike.

House, who prided himself on reading people and cutting to their core, considered Chase's comment for a moment.

He then retorted, "That's a load of crap! Do you want to hear what I think?"

Seeing the shock on Chase's face, House didn't wait for his reply and continued, "I think your father is the one who wanted you to become a doctor and you were too afraid to stand up to him and say no. But you also didn't want to be compared to the great Dr. Rowan Chase so you went into a specialty far removed from his. In the same token, as an intensivist, you don't have to personally get to know your patients so there is little risk of revealing too much about yourself. How'm I doin'?"

Chase, extremely angered and insulted by House's remarks, countered defensively, "That's an interesting hypothesis. Almost as if you speak from experience. But in my case, you couldn't be more wrong."

Chase tried his best to exude an appearance of calm, but House could tell by the young man's demeanor that a nerve had been struck.

The phone rang, breaking the hostility that permeated the air. House looked at the Caller ID and, seeing that it was the lab, answered the call.

"This better be good," he barked into the receiver. After listening to Dr. Singer for a moment, House leaned forward in his chair and ordered, "Start her on treatment."

Hanging up, House sat rubbing his chin, pondering what he had just heard.

Interrupting his thoughts, Chase announced, "I was right about the diagnosis, wasn't I?"

"Don't let it go to your head," admonished House. "It was only beginner's luck."

Chase smiled, apparently pleased with himself. Nontheless, he obviously was not accustomed to any recognition for his talent and did not expect it now.

It occurred to House that Robert Chase was a puzzle that could be interesting to solve. He was undeniably extremely intelligent but gave the appearance of being too passive.

Was he afraid of failure or was it something else? Whatever it was, judging from his earlier reaction, the kid obviously took things too easily to heart and could use some toughening up.

With the right person to show him the ropes, Chase had the potential to be a great doctor one day. House, however, had no desire to be a father figure to the kid.

_Still, it would certainly make me look good if I give this kid the job, _House thought._ At the same time, it would probably piss off Rowan Chase which would be an added bonus. Of course, there's no reason to tell him that his dad didn't ask me to give him the job_. _Hell, it would probably just make him cry and I don't have time to deal with that._

"You're hired," House announced. "Since Dr. Stewart pushed you to apply for this fellowship, then he should be happy that I'm going to give him until the end of the week to replace you," House added. "You can start next Monday."

Chase was not really sure if he was happy to get the position or if he was upset that he got it because his father had once again interfered in his life by calling in a favor.

It also didn't help Chase's self-esteem to believe that he hadn't earned this job on his own merits.

Regardless, he had learned a long time ago to take advantage of a good opportunity so he thanked House and accepted the offer.

With the interview now over, Chase glanced at his watch and then apprehensively looked back at House.

"I know this is a strange request, but would you mind if I stay in here with you for another four minutes?" Chase inquired.

Beginning to think the kid was a little strange and that perhaps he had acted too rashly, House frowned and asked, "Why?"

Chase bit his lip, trying to think of the best way to get what he wanted. He quickly decided that in this case, it was best to make a deal.

"While I was waiting for you this morning, the hospital staff was placing wagers on how long this interview would last," he explained. "They promised to double the pot if I made it past thirty minutes so I took the bet. If you let me stay, then I'll split my winnings with you."

Becoming more pleased with his choice, House smiled appreciatively.

He grabbed a black, round ball from the shelf behind him, shook it and said, "Oh, Magic Eight Ball, are Chase and I going to win this bet?"

Robert Chase smiled broadly, showing his dimples, as House read the answer, "It is decidedly so."

**The End.**


End file.
